KISS ME KATE

This film musical features songs by Cole Porter and has a plot that revolves around a stage musical called 'Kiss Me, Kate' (based on 'The Taming of the Shrew') that features songs by Cole Porter, who briefly appears as a character - it's all a bit meta for 1953.  

The main characters are performers Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessa, who used to be married and who have a tempestuous relationship that creates off-stage fireworks to mirror those on-stage. Further comic mayhem is provided by some gangsters who are owed money.

The original stage musical won the first ever Tony, and was Cole Porter’s first integrated musical i.e. one in which the songs relate directly to the surrounding story.

The story itself is entertaining tosh and the sparkling songs are done full justice by Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson as Fred and Lilli.

Most of the dancing in the film features Ann Miller. She turns up in many musicals of this era (such as ‘On The Town’) and unfortunately I find her dancing style clunky to the point of being unwatchable.

So the dancing throughout, choreographed by Hermes Pan (crazy name), is unmemorable, with one remarkable exception.

The musical finale is the song ‘From This Moment On’ and just over two minutes in we get a minute of electrifying dance - it’s as though we’ve suddenly jumped forward in time a couple of decades. 

The dancers in question are Bob Fosse and Carol Haney. The former (as I am sure you know) went on to have a highly successful career as choreographer and later film director, the only person to win an Oscar, Tony and Emmy in the same year, and it must be him who choreographed this particular sequence.

Carol Haney went on to achieve success in ‘The Pajama Game’. The highlight of her performance in that musical is the number ‘Steam Heat’, again choreographed by Fosse, which is well worth checking out on YouTube.

So to wrap up, this is an enjoyable if rather old-fashioned musical, a must if like me you are a fan of Cole Porter.

RATING: ✓ If You've Nothing Better To Do